Visual damage to carriages and multiple units will be repaired and finished with a new coat of paint in the new large-capacity paint booth at Siemens in St. Petersburg. The 30-meter long booth was recently commissioned, and can be used for filling, sanding, painting, or drying. This Dürr large-capacity paint booth not only offers impressive versatility, but also a high level of energy efficiency.
The Sapsan is a high-speed electric train manufactured by Siemens that has been carrying passengers between Moscow and St. Petersburg since 2009. With a travel time of just four hours for this distance, many people prefer this mode of transport over flying.
To guarantee regular upkeep, Siemens concluded a long-term maintenance contract with the Russian railway company that also includes repairing the paint at regular intervals. This task will be performed in the future in a Dürr combination booth with painting and drying function. Instead of being located in a hall as might be expected, it is a separate building adjoining the newly constructed Siemens maintenance center.
In keeping with its reputation as a one-stop shop, Dürr looked after everything from planning to commissioning including application. “The new paint booth can be used in a variety of different ways, and is equipped with application technology. It is setting new standards in the painting of multiple units and carriages, not least thanks to its low energy consumption”, says Dr. Hans Schumacher, President & CEO of Dürr Systems AG, in explaining the benefits of the efficient system.
Best possible working conditions
The steel structure features internal tracks on which the carriage enters the booth, with residual space coverings used to minimize the energy consumption. These rest almost flush against the train contour at the entrance and exit to ensure better sealing of the hall. This solution reduces energy consumption and improves the working conditions in the booth.
The repair work on the trains is then started from the two mobile elevated work platforms. The scissors lifts extend two meters past the apex of the carriages and locomotives, making it easier to perform repairs on the roofs of the trains.
Dürr spray guns from the EcoGun series are used for painting. These spray guns are especially well suited for even paint application. Dürr pressure pots with compressed air stirrers ensure a continuous paint supply. The connections required for this as well as the lighting can be operated directly from the mobile elevated work platforms.
The repair process
Depending on the type of damage, the damaged areas are first sanded, then filled if necessary, and finally painted and polished. The mobile elevated work platforms can travel the entire length of the hall during this process, enabling all parts of the train to be reached. Once the damage has been repaired and painted, the booth can be switched over to the dryer function. This is achieved by heating the internal space to 60 degrees in order to initiate drying of the paint.
High energy efficiency
Dürr places great importance on energy efficiency when it comes to its large-capacity booths. The use of zone circuits in the Dürr combination booth enables separate and independent control of the air flow to a total of four zones. This means that while paint is being applied in the first two zones, for example, it can be drying in the last two zones, since the zones can be separated by means of a roller door in the middle of the booth. All the ventilation technology is housed above the paint booth.
Heat recovery rotors also ensure that the fresh air for the paint shop is preheated by the exhaust air before it is heated to the desired operating temperature (generally 20 to 22 °C) in the heating register. In drying mode, the system is operated with recirculated air in order to achieve the required drying temperature. The system automatically switches to energy-saving mode during breaks in painting lasting more than 20 minutes to prevent unnecessary energy consumption.
